


Fosterviches

by cantfuckinbelievethis (orphan_account)



Series: One-shots [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Attempted Murder, F/F, Intimidation, M/M, a lot happens, abuse tw, bit of canon but the timelines fucked, blood mention, but also not a lot?, domestic abuse tw, emotional and physical abuse tw, f/f relationship is only mentioned, homophobic slur, i guess you could call this an au, i'd say theres a bit of homophobia in there as well, im not sure what to say this fic was written a year or two ago, kash is in it but ians with mickey, probs ooc as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6091231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cantfuckinbelievethis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fic surrounding a OFC living in a foster home who accidentally catches Ian and Mickey together and ends up with Ian, Mickey, and Mandy in her life.</p><p>by user cantfuckinbelievethis</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fosterviches

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so there's a bit of physical abuse in this one so I've put in where it starts and ends so you can skip it if you need to 
> 
> Also although i've just realised it sort of sounds like there's rape when she warns Mandy, there's no implied/referenced rape (meaning Tommy has never raped anyone but if you are sensitive to any kind of abuse mention or warning, please take care of yourself and avoid reading this fic -- Im so sorry I'm really bad at warnings but i hope this is enough)

_Choose one word to describe yourself._

Lee almost groaned at the insanely annoying question. Honestly, how does one word to describe herself have anything to do with getting a job in this shithole? She could’ve easily bullshitted her way through with any number of words: _loyal, friendly, reliable_. She doubted anyone chose a word they really believed described them, if anyone even applied here at all. If she had to choose one word, honestly, it would probably be typical — as in typical Southside trash. It’s the same old story, ain’t it? Poor, neglectful parents, in one foster home after another. But ‘typical’ wouldn’t get her the fucking job she needed.

Besides the obvious reason of having _no money_ , Lee needed the job in order to get out of her foster home every once and a while, saving up to move out for good when she turned eighteen in a couple of years. Her current foster home wasn’t too bad since the woman responsible for them was passed out drunk a lot of the time, and therefore wasn’t in the way. The only real bad thing about living there was that the two youngest, Blake and Krista, were moving back in with their parents. And, like, good for them, but now she was stuck alone with Tommy — a seventeen year old, abusive, sexist motherfucker who had no problem knocking her around.

She sighed and decided upon _friendly_ , although a lot of the time she was far from that. She shifted her too-thin body out of the crouch she had been in as she filled out the application against the wall at the back of the store. Stretching her stiff joints a little, she headed over to the cashier that she had seen working there. The only one besides Kash and Linda, anyway. Lee figured she probably wouldn’t get a job here, since the ginger kid probably got the only one available, but she had to try.

When she handed it to him, he pressed his lips together in an awkward smile and gave her a polite nod. Yep, she wasn’t going to get shit from this. She gave him a small smile back anyway, trying not to focus on how cute the kid was, even if he was a year or so younger than her. Lee’d always had a huge thing for freckles, and this dude was covered. She was pretty certain he was in the year below her, but she was struggling with the name. Shrugging it off, she made her way out of the Kash N’ Grab and headed down the street.

“Aye, wanna fuck?” she heard someone call out behind her.

She spun around to see a Milkovich grinning suggestively at her, eyebrows arched as one of his brothers laughed. Lee scowled and flipped him off, continuing on walking. She glanced back once more to see him entering the Kash N’ Grab, while his brother headed off down the street. Lee prayed for the safety of the cute cashier and groaned when it started to rain. She went to grab her phone to call Tommy to pick her up, even if he would complain about it, but her pocket was empty. She groaned, realising it probably slipped out of her pocket in the store when she was crouching. It had a habit of doing that.

She really didn’t want to run into the Milkovich again, but decided she absolutely needed her phone. It still had a bunch of minutes left on it, and Tommy would tear her a new one if she returned without it. She hurried back over to the Kash N’ Grab, rubbing her hands up and down her covered arms because of how cold it was. She frowned in confusion at the ‘back in 5 mins’ sign. She hadn’t seen the Milkovich leave, but he couldn’t still be in there. She knocked anyway, hoping the cashier was in the back. After a minute or two of knocking, she decided to head around the back and just go in that way.

It was unlocked, which she was glad for as she raced in to look for her phone. She was pretty sure her application wouldn’t be taken seriously if they caught her and thought she was stealing or snooping or something. She found her phone by the wall and immediately scooped it up, making a beeline for the back door again. She paused when she heard something hit the floor, followed by a few grunts. She glanced around herself, feeling increasingly uneasy. Her dark gaze shifted to her left where the noise was coming from.

When she looked through the window of the freezer door, she was met with a confusing image. She couldn’t avert her eyes, though she wanted to look away. She just felt like a pervert looking at them, but she was in shock and even took a step closer to confirm what it was she was thinking she was seeing. And yes, it was the Milkovich kid being rammed in the ass by the redheaded cashier. She wondered briefly how cold it was in there since they both had their clothes on besides their pants that were caught around their knees and ankles.

“Gallagher, hurry the fuck up,” the Milkovich groaned.

That’s when it hit her that it was real. Lee jumped back, hitting the shelf behind her. She ducked when ‘Gallagher’ glanced over. When she could hear him starting to panic, she made a break for it, sprinting out of the backdoor and racing down the alley, back out into the street. Panting, she slowed to a walk, not wanting to appear suspicious. Feeling a little jumpy, she called Tommy to come and pick her up.

* * *

Lee spent almost the whole night worrying about what would happen at school the next day. Did the Gallagher kid see her? She had no idea how he would react, but she knew how the Milkovich would. She prayed, asking God to forgive her for her sins and let her into heaven, because she would probably be dead by tomorrow.  
When she came in for breakfast, Blake and Krista were gone for good without even a goodbye. She immediately felt dread and panic run through her when she saw only Tommy at the breakfast table. He shot her a smirk and her stomach dropped, face paling.

“Just you and me now,” he said smoothly, taking a sip of his OJ.

She slowly and tensely dropped down next to him and asked quietly, “Where are Blake and Krista?”

“Their parents picked them up early this morning.” Tommy ruffled her dark hair, grabbing the piece of toast in her hand and tossing it into the bin.

“What the _fuck_ , Tommy?!” she shouted, standing and he stood with her. “Real mature, asshole.”

He tossed his plate into the sink, where it shattered, and took a step into Lee’s personal space. She shrunk away, instinctively shielding her face with her arm.

“You think I’m going to let you fucking—?”

Tommy was cut short when Katherine, their foster mother, shouted, “Shut the fuck up, shit stains! I got a call from CPS this morning and they’re sending another two little assholes my way. You…uh, the boy one” she gestured vaguely to Tommy “You’re staying home from school and cleaning up this shit heap so I can get the extra money.”

Tommy sighed, kicking his backpack lightly with his shoe. He wouldn’t dare cause much of a fuss over such a little thing. Not with Katherine. She was one of the only ones who could kick his ass, no problem.

  
As Lee was brushing her teeth, her phone rang. She spat the toothpaste out and answered it. “Hello?”

“Lee? This is Linda Karib and I’m calling about your application. If you want the job, you’ve got to be able to come in today to train.”

Thanking the universe for this convenient excuse to further avoid Gallagher at school, she responded, “Yeah, absolutely. I’ll be there.”

She raced back to her room, ditching her bag before going out to Katherine, who was getting herself sober for today’s CPS meeting. “Katherine, could you call the school and tell them I’m not going to be in today? I’ve got training for a job.”

Katherine mumbled something about Lee giving her half the paycheque before waving her off, which Lee took as an affirmative.

She nodded and began to make her way back to her room to change, when she turned around and asked, “What are these new kids going to be like?”

Katherine huffed, leaning back in her stolen BarcaLounger. “All I know is that it’s two brats, boy and girl, and the girl is around your age. Fifteen right?”

“I’m sixteen.”

“What-fucking-ever, Lisa. You’re a year younger than the boy, then.”

She nodded, happy enough with the information not to argue about the fact that her name was actually Lee. She was a little on edge about the thought of a new boy around, but shook it off and headed out.

When she got to the Kash N’ Grab, Kash was there to greet her. He took her to meet Linda before starting her training. Linda seemed like a tough but fair employer. Kash didn’t really seem to be the one in charge so Lee was more at ease with him since he probably wouldn’t care if she fucked up. As he told her about everyone she would have to socialise with, she found herself asking about Gallagher. Kash was more than happy to chat about him. She found out his name was Ian (so _that’s_ which Gallagher he was) and that he did go to her school like she thought.

As he was supervising her stacking the shelves, she found herself digging for more dirt. “So, do the Milkoviches come in here often?”

Kash’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

She shrugged, turning back to the shelf. “Just want to know if I’ll have to handle them a lot, that’s all.”

“The Milkoviches do come in a lot, and take stuff. But if you are ever having a hard time with one of them, you can go to Ian or me. There’s also a gun under the counter.”

“Good to know.” She nodded slowly, and decided not to ask any more questions about Ian or the Milkoviches.

* * *

When she got home, she opened the door to see two Milkoviches standing in the foyer. She gasped in shock, immediately panicking that they were there to kill her. She put a hand to her racing heart and exhaled sharply. “Jesus _fucking_ Christ! I promise, I saw nothing!”

“Lee!” Katherine snapped as she entered the room, a woman following behind her. “Watch your language, stop talking nonsense, and show Mickey and Mandy to their new rooms.”

Finally, she’s remembered her name! And, finally she knows their names! Lee quickly remembered their other brothers that she knew of: Colin, Iggy, and Joey. They were probably too old to be taken into foster care by now.

“Where?” She frowned, shifting uncomfortably as she eyed the Milkovich siblings.

Katherine didn’t answer her; she just shot her a glare as she guided the CPS woman out of the house. The two Milkoviches turned to Lee expectantly.

“Well?” Mickey pressed, raising his eyebrows. Somehow, it was intimidating. Or maybe she was just nervous because every time she looked at him, her mind flashed back to young, freckled Ian Gallagher bending him over.

She almost snorted as she saw his knuckle tattoos, reminded that they read **FUCK U-UP**. _No, Mickey_ , she thought, _it appears you are the one who gets fucked_. All amusement faded as she took a look at his face again, he looked pretty annoyed.

She cleared her throat, scratching the back of her head. “Well, uh, Tommy and I have a room each as we’re here permanently…Normally the extra people sleep in the lounge, but if you don’t want the lounge, Mandy can share a room with me and, Mickey, you can share a room with Tommy.”

“I ain’t fucking sharin’,” Mickey scoffed.

Mandy shot her brother a glare. “Do you want to be stuck on the fold-out couch?” She turned to Lee. “I’m fine with sharing. But don’t try to feel me up in the middle of the night or anything.”

She raised her hands in defence. “No chance of that hap—”

“Fun fucking bonding time you two are having,” Mickey interrupted, “But I need my own room.”

“To what, jack off?” Tommy sneered as he entered the room.

Mandy and Lee immediately tensed up, but probably for different reasons. Mickey shot icy daggers at Tommy as he sized him up.

“We gonna have a problem?” Mickey growled, stepping up towards Tommy.

“Yeah, you’re not taking my fucking bedroom!” Tommy retorted.

Lee was comforted only a little at the idea of Tommy not having his own room. But, of course, that would mean he would be hanging around the lounge when you get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water or whatever, which was a horrifying thought also.

Out of nowhere, and surprisingly quickly, Mickey jabbed Tommy in the stomach and Tommy doubled over, coughing. Mickey leant towards him and hissed, “Go get your shit out of my new room.”

Tommy immediately scampered away and Lee found herself seeing Mickey in a whole new light.

Mickey shot Mandy a grin. “Look who just got their own room!”

It was official: she was going to enjoy having Mickey Milkovich here. She just had to make sure he wouldn’t find out that she knew he was screwing Ian Gallagher. Damn, if he found out, she would be in some deep shit.

* * *

“So, uh, I’ll sleep on the floor if you want,” Lee offered, pulling her stuff from the bed.

Mandy nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I’ve slept on too many fucking floors this week.”

“Let me guess,” she began as she made a make-shift bed on the floor. “You’ve been outrunning CPS, sleeping on friends’ floors?”

Mandy nodded again with wide eyes. “How’d you guess?”

She gave her a dry smile. “I’ve not only been a foster kid for a long time, I’ve met a lot. Always the same story — fucked up parents, attempted escape until someone fucks it up.”

She made a face. “Mickey. He made the stupid mistake of going home after stealing stuff from the Kash N’ Grab. Normally CPS don’t give a shit, but for some reason they did this time and the fucking idiot forgot we were supposed to stay away from home.”

 _Ian probably fucking him probably fucked with his memory_ , Lee thought in amusement before saying, “Well, you’ll get to have the room by yourself after school because I recently got a job at that very store.”

Mandy’s blue eyes widened. “Really? My best friend works there. Ian Gallagher?”

Lee raised an eyebrow. _And the plot thickens._ “Huh, cool. Well, Mickey should probably stop stealing from there because I have no problem kicking his ass.”

Mandy snorted at her obvious joke. As if she could ever beat Mickey fucking Milkovich. she’d probably somehow end up dead. Lee bit her lip as she watched Mandy set up her stuff, thinking about how even though she was only a year or so younger than her, she looked much younger. It didn’t feel right leaving her here after school alone.

“Mandy,” she said quietly and Mandy frowned up at her as Lee gave her a serious look. “I really think that Mickey should try being around as much as possible when I’m not here.”

Her frown grew deeper. “Why’s that?”

She couldn’t find it in her to say it aloud. Lee just whispered, “Stay away from the lounge room in the middle of the night, wake me up if you need anything, and keep the door locked when Mickey and I aren’t here.”

“Well, what about that other guy…Tommy?” Mandy whispered back, seeming to understand that for some reason unknown to her, we needed to be quiet.

Lee felt her stomach sink at the thought of actually saying anything. Her eyes grew wide as she shook her head. All she managed to choke out was, “ _Locked_ if Mickey and I aren’t here.” After that, she had to leave the room — she had to get some fresh air.

But, apparently now that Mickey Milkovich had moved in, the air wasn’t so fresh. He was leaning against the wall out the back, squinting as he stared out at the weeds that filled the yard. Lee’d hoped she had been quiet enough that she could sneak back inside without him noticing.

“Someone needs to put a fucking weed-whacker to this piece of shit yard,” he told her. Clearly she had not been quiet enough.

“Money’s tight,” she managed to say and shakily came to lean next to him. “Can’t really afford a weed-whacker.”

“We could use that prick Tommy as a weed-whacker, or get him to sell his body for the money to get one,” Mickey suggested and Lee couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a little more comfortable. When he offered her a smoke, she waved him off. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You grew up Southside, _in the system_ no less, and you ain’t got a fuckin’ nicotine addiction?”

“My mom kicked it because of lung cancer,” she explained with a shrug. “Seeing someone turn to dust in front of you really puts you off some things.”

“Well that fuckin’ sucks,” he said, taking another pull from his cigarette. “What about weed?”

She shrugged again. “Never really got into it.”

“Tell me you at least fucking drink or this place is gonna be no fun, especially with that prick inside,” he complained.

She nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I drink like a fish.”

He nodded slowly.

Things fell silent again for a while, before she finally had the courage to blurt out, “Look, I need a bit of a favour from you.”

He scrunched his face up. “Why the fuck would I give you a favour?”

“It’s only a small one,” Lee said, “I just need you to _not_ rob the Kash N’ Grab while I’m working there.”

“You’re working there?” He raised his eyebrows, seeming shocked.

“Yeah, just got employed there. Apparently I’m going to be helping out Ian,” she informed him, watching as his face turned to a look of annoyance. She let out a small smile. “Not that you steal from there when Ian’s working anyway.”

“The fuck would I care if Gallagher’s working,” he grumbled, looking down at his shoes.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You, Mandy, and _Gallagher_ just seem to be on pretty good terms, so I assume that you don’t rob him. Plus, Kash is a fucking pussy so I’d guess he would be easier to steal from. I have a feeling Ian would put up a bit of a fight.”

He probably didn’t think she noticed that his lips pulled up a bit at the sides as he said, “Yeah, he can be a difficult fucker. Once he tried to beat me with a tire iron.”  
Her eyes widened. “Oh, really? Lemme guess, you beat the shit out of him?”

Mickey shrugged, stubbing out his smoke on the wall before letting it drop to the floor. “Something like that.”

“Dinner!” Tommy yelled. “Lee, get your fucking ass in here!”

She groaned. “Katherine’s already passed out, I guess. Usually she at least stays sober for new people’s first nights.” She slowly turned and took a deep breath before heading inside.

* * *

“Fucking hell, Lee, can you not fuck up _just once_?!” Tommy shouted as she stared down at the shards of glass on the floor.

While drying the dishes, Lee had accidentally dropped a glass when Tommy shoved her out of the way. Mickey and Mandy had already retired to the lounge to watch TV. She immediately took a step away from him as he picked up a piece of glass. She winced as a piece cut her foot. Lee quickly turned her attention back to Tommy, who was holding up the shard of glass near her.

“You fucking clean this up right now,” he hissed before dropping the piece of glass.

She quickly moved her other foot out the way as the glass hit the floor. She turned and was about to go get the dustpan and broom from the closet in the hall, but ran into Mickey just outside the doorway, Mandy behind him. They had clearly been listening in. Avoiding their eyes, Lee moved past them to get the dustpan and broom from out of the closet.

As she went to go back into the kitchen, Mandy whispered, “Lee, your foot is bleeding like a motherfucker.”

“I know,” she answered in a monotone voice before going to clean up the glass.

Lee scrunched her face up as she stared down at the shards of glass she was cleaning up, trying to stop herself from crying. Tommy hated it when she cried, or he loved it. She didn’t know. When she returned the dustpan and broom to the closet, Mickey and Mandy were back in the lounge. She went into the kitchen to see Tommy finishing up with the dishes.

“Can I go clean my foot now?” she asked.

He glanced down at her foot, which was bleeding profusely, and shrugged. “Whatever, I’m going to piss.”

Lee sighed, knowing she couldn’t go into the bathroom yet. She limped into the lounge room, taking a seat and ignoring the look Mandy was shooting her.

“Lee, your foot?” Mandy reminded her.

She nodded, not removing her stare from the wall. “Yeah, I know. I can’t go clean it up yet.”

“Why the fuck not?” Mickey asked sharply, raising his dark eyebrows.

She didn’t answer, just waited until Tommy returned to the lounge. When he did, he asked if she needed help in the bathroom with a look in his eye that she hated. She shook her head and raced to the bathroom the best she could, locking the door behind her. She was almost done fixing up her foot when there was a knock at the door.

“Leave me alone,” Lee said just loud enough for the person, who she guessed was Tommy, to hear. She also had been crying, so she really didn’t want her voice to break or anything.

“It’s Mandy,” she called out.

Lee slowly moved her foot from under the running water from the bathtub and leant over to unlock the door. Mandy came in, locking the door behind her. She sat down on the toilet, glancing down at Lee’s foot with a small smile.

“It’s already looking better,” she noted.

Lee nodded, not really wanting to say anything. She jumped in surprise when a baton landed in her lap, turning to Mandy with wide eyes. “What the fuck?”

She shrugged. “For protection. I could teach you to use it Milkovich-style. I feel like you need it more than I do at the moment.”

She shook her head quickly, trying to hand it back. “No, Mandy, _trust me_ , you need it.”

Mandy gave Lee a small, a weird cross of sad and condescending. “Look, Leigh, I’m not claiming to be worse off that you or to have been through more than you since I barely know you. But from the looks and size of Tommy, I’d say my dad hits harder. So I’m more used to protecting myself, _with or without a weapon_.”

“I’m still not going to take it from you,” she said, “I’ll be fine since I’m going to be here when Mickey’s here, but you might not be. I only have to make it for a while longer anyway. Keep it. I can’t have you on my conscience as well.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Mandy asked, blue eyes a little wide.

Lee’s own dark eyes widened as she realised what she had blurted out. She only shook her head, saying, “Don’t worry about it. I’m really tired; I didn’t know what I was saying.”

As she left the bathroom, she tried not to think about tangled blonde hair.

* * *

Lee was working her first shift with Ian after school. She was a bit nervous as she’d never really spoken to him before. If he was anything like Mickey, she figured they’d get along. At school, Mandy had waved at her before going to join Ian, while Mickey immediately split off to the bleachers after Tommy walked away from her. After school, she walked Mandy and Mickey to meet Tommy since he would walk them home.

She let Mickey and Tommy walk ahead a little as she pulled Mandy aside and reminded her, “Okay, so if Mickey leaves, what do you do?”

She rolled her eyes and said in her monotone voice, “Lock the door.”

Lee nodded. “Okay, good.”

She scowled a little. “You know, I don’t need a fucking babysitter. I can actually protect myself, unlike some people.”

Lee immediately dropped her arm, bristling. “Fine.”

Her eyes softened a little and she said, “Look, I’m s—I mean, that was cunt-y of me.”

Lee’s jaw tightened and she refused to show anything. “You’d better catch up.” She spun around and walked away, making her way to the Kash N’ Grab.

* * *

“Okay, so, has Kash and Linda taught you everything?” Ian asked as Lee stepped around the counter to stand beside the redhead.

She nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. How to use the register, what to do if kids are trying to buy cigarettes, how to stack the shelves in the right way, how to clean up, how to shoot a Milkovich…”

Ian rolled his green eyes. “Yeah, you probably shouldn’t do that. You’ll just get into trouble. Plus, the Milkoviches aren’t so bad once you get to know them.” He paused. “Well, two of them, anyway.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “Mandy and Mickey?”

He laughed a little. “Yeah, how’d you guess?”

“They seem pretty alright to me.” She shrugged. “Although Mickey keeps stealing my fucking cereal.”

His eyes widened. “O-Oh, you’re the one who they live with? Fuck. That’s gotta be work.”

She nodded, leaning against the counter on her elbows. “Yep, pretty much. But they’re still vastly better than my other housemates. And they both speak _very highly_ of you.”

Lee almost fucking giggled when red spread up Ian’s neck in embarrassment, hope in his eyes. “Oh, really?”

She grinned. “Yeah, well, you are Mandy’s best friend, right?” Now she was just being a little shit.

The light in his eyes died a little. “Oh. Right. What’ve they said?” He seemed as if he was stressing the fact that he wants to hear about Mickey as well.

“That you’re smoking hot with a great ass,” she told him, “That’s a direct quote.”

“From who?”

She shrugged. “Mandy.”

“Oh. Well, what about Mickey?”

“What the fuck are you talking about me for?” Mickey complained as he made his way through the door.

“Mickey!” Lee greeted, happy to see the douchebag. However, that happiness wavered when it reminded her that that meant Mandy was alone. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, hey.” He turned his attention to Ian, raising his eyebrows. “You got any slim jims in this shit hole?”

The sparkle in Ian’s eyes as Mickey ran a thumb along his lip was so obvious, Lee was wondering how they hadn’t yet been caught by anyone but her. “Lee, can you man the counter while I look in the back for some?”

She nodded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She tried not to show any sign that she knew what they were up to but she couldn’t help it. They’d better just talk back there.

Ian waved a hand at Mickey. “C’mon, Mick.”

Mickey nodded and followed him to the back, removing his scarf. God, they’re painfully obvious. Who removes a scarf to go into a _giant refrigerator_? After a good ten minutes at the counter, no one had come in and she was starting to get curious about what they were up to back there. In her experience, teenage boys _do not_ last more than five minutes. They’re lucky if they can get to three. There’s no way they could still be going at it; they must be doing something else.

Ignoring the voice in Lee that was telling her to not go down there, she made her way up to the fridge door and peeked in. She saw them bent over a shelf, going at it so hard it was making the shelf shake. They didn’t even notice the cans begin to fall off. She thanked God that Kash and Linda were out and that means they wouldn’t get caught—by anyone but her, anyway—because she had to give them a piece of her mind. She would not be working alone while Ian had fun. No way.

Lee opened the door and huffed. “Really?”

They jumped, pulling away from each other and pulling their pants up. She rolled her eyes at the two of them as they stared back with wide eyes.

“As if you haven’t been caught before, you’re not exactly choosing a clever hiding place,” she snapped, “Now please either take thirty seconds like normal teenage boys or fuck on your own time.”

Mickey suddenly snapped back into it, storming up to her and getting in her face. She tensed up but refused to show how nervous she was. He leant in close and spat, “You’re gonna keep your fucking mouth shut about this, or I swear to God I’ll smother you while you sleep. No need to worry about Tommy.”

She almost winced as he shoved past her. Wow, low blow. The Milkoviches seem to have a talent for hitting you where it hurts most. Lee schooled her features as she faced Ian, refusing to show how much Mickey’s words got to her. Clearly, she wasn’t doing well since Ian slowly approached her with an apologetic look.

“Look, he doesn’t mean it. Well, he does, but you won’t tell anyone, right?”

The brunette huffed. “Of course I wouldn’t. Are you kidding me? In this neighbourhood, it’s hard enough to survive, let alone be out and not get beaten to death.”

Ian gave her a dry look. “Yeah, that’s pretty much why we’re trying to hide it.”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, well, I won’t tell anyone. But I’m not working the fucking store alone, so come on.”

As Ian followed her out of the refrigerator, he promised, “Mickey won’t hurt you if you keep quiet.”

She laughed humourlessly. “We’ll see. If I don’t turn up to my shift tomorrow, at least you’ll know why.”

* * *

Mandy’s soft snores were oddly calming as they filled the, otherwise silent, room. A calm atmosphere was something that Lee needed right now because she was feeling extremely guilty. Mickey hadn’t shown up home tonight so far — it was already three in the morning.

Mandy had waved her off and said not to worry about it. “Someone’s probably pissed him off and so he’s gone off to have a fucking tantrum. It’s nothing; he’ll be back by one or two,” she’d assured her.

The one piece of good news since she came home was that nothing had happened with Mandy and Tommy. Mandy had stayed in our room, doing homework surprisingly enough. Tommy had stayed in the rest of the house, making dinner and actually doing chores. Apparently when Lee wasn’t around it was a fucking domestic haven.

She knew that Mandy said that it was nothing to worry about, and that he would be back by one or two, but it was now three and Lee was really feeling the guilt. She was aware that when she said one or two it was a guess and probably an hour later shouldn’t warrant her sitting up waiting like a worried Mother Hen, but she felt it was her fault Mickey was gone.

Lee was sitting up from her makeshift bed on the floor, glancing up at Mandy every so often to see if the involuntary tapping of my foot was keeping her up—which it didn’t, she sleeps like the fucking dead. She ran a hand through her dark, wavy hair before tying it up out of her face. She bit her lip as she glanced at the clock. It was ten past three. She huffed, resuming the tapping of my foot.

Suddenly, a door slammed shut somewhere in the house. Deciding that it sounded like the front door, Lee immediately rushed out to catch Mickey and apologise. Maybe promise him that she wouldn’t tell anyone about him and Ian. She quickly scanned the lounge, trying to spot Mickey. She felt a cold realisation run through her as he was nowhere to be seen, but Tommy was coming back into the lounge from the kitchen. Tommy must’ve shut the kitchen door.

********* THIS IS WHERE THE PHYSICAL ABUSE BEGINS *********

Lee slowly backed up, trying not to make a sound as she went to return to her room. Once she was a few steps away from the lounge room door, she spun around to tiptoe back to the room. However, she only made it a few more steps before her ponytail was yanked, causing her to stumble back. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound as she didn’t want to wake Mandy and have her come look for her. She winced as she was thrown against a wall. She shrunk away as Tommy smirked down at her.

“What do we have here?” he murmured. “Sneaking around the house at night…”

“Fuck you,” she muttered, tears already falling from her eyes.

She gasped as a sharp slap across the face made black spots dance across her vision. While she was still slightly dizzy, he yanked her through the lounge and opened the back door, tossing her out onto the cold lawn. He shut the door behind him, leaving her outside in nothing but her pyjamas. She knew she could freeze to death out here.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she panted, on her way to hyperventilating. She pounded on the door, yelling, “Let me in, Tommy!”

Out of nowhere, the door swung open and smacked Lee in the face, breaking her nose. She stumbled back, collapsing 0n the ground as Tommy stood over her. She scrambled back as he continued to follow her.

“Get away from me!” Lee shouted.

Tommy was about to respond, either with his words or another smack to the face, when he was suddenly thrown away from her. Whoever had done it yelled, “Get _the fuck_ away from her!”

She gasped, sitting up and curling up into herself the same way one would if a bear was attacking. She peeked out from under her hands to see Mickey throwing deadly punches at Tommy. Even drunk, Mickey was able to make Tommy a pleading, bloody mess beneath him.

“You like hitting girls, you piece of shit?” Mickey pulled back his arm again, ready to strike when Lee quickly grabbed it.

“Mickey, you’re gonna kill him! Stop!”

********* PHYSICAL ABUSE ENDS *********

Mickey turned to her with wide blue eyes. “Lee, can you not fucking see yourself right now? What this motherfucker’s done?”

She shook her head, breathing shakily and sniffling through her busted nose. “Mick, he’s not worth it.”

“Fuck,” Mickey spat, grabbing Tommy around the throat. “You’re leaving tonight, shithead. I don’t want to see you anywhere around this house ever again, got that?”

Tommy nodded desperately and Mickey pulled away, grabbing a hold of Lee’s arm. He guided her into the house, locking the door behind them. Without warning and without permission, her legs collapsed out from under her and she bowed her head, starting to cry.

“Hey, c’mon,” Mickey whispered softly, more gentle than she’d ever heard him before. “C’mon, get the fuck up. I ain’t leaving you here to lie around in your own blood.”

He lifted her up from under her arms and helped her to the bathroom. He ordered her to sit down on the toilet as he got out the limited first-aid equipment.

“Don’t worry, I know how to patch you up,” he assured as he knelt before her with a wet wash cloth. He gave her a small grin. “Milkoviches are pretty experienced with this shit.”

She couldn’t help but laugh slightly. As he wiped Lee's face free of blood, she whispered, “I’m really sorry with how I kinda…intruded with you and Ian, Mickey. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

He rolled his eyes. “We ain’t talking about me and fuckin’ Gallagher right now. This ain’t a faggy eighth grade sleepover.”

She rolled her eyes a little before muttering, “Okay.” She pretty much assumed all was forgiven with that.

After five minutes of silence, her face was clean and he was applying small bandages. “How long?” he asked. When her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he repeated, “How fucking long has the asshole been doing this?”

She shrugged slightly. “A while…A year or two maybe?”

He nodded as if he expected that. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

She gave him a dry look. “I barely know you. And, I don’t know, it could be worse.”

He finished with the last bandage and leant back to sit on the edge of the bathtub. “Sounds like you know from experience.”

Lee took a deep breath before saying, “A girl before me had it much worse with him. She was his age and was in the house for a while before I turned up. Her name was Abby.” In her mind flashed an image of tangled blonde hair and bright blue eyes, much like the ones that were staring up at her right now. “He, uh…”

“What happened?” Mickey murmured, clearly too angry to be his normal flippant self.

“He caught us together,” she confessed.

“Like…” Mickey prompted.

“Like you and Ian together,” she elaborated, already feeling tears well up. “We hadn’t told each other what he had been doing to both of us. So I really thought he was going to only punish me for it. Later, I was leaving for school and I told Abby how he’d been hitting me. I warned her of what he was like, and she admitted that he had been doing the same to her. God, I fucking _remember_ her promising me that it was all going to be okay. I didn’t want to leave her there with him but she said ‘I’ll see you when you get home’ and sent me off.” Lee started crying again, shutting her eyes in attempt to block out all of the pain.

She was shocked into opening her eyes when arms hesitantly made their way around her. Mickey was an extremely awkward and stiff hugger, but it was the thought that counted.

“Did she…?” he whispered into her hair.

She laughed humourlessly. “I don’t know what happened. I came home and Tommy told me she was gone. Her stuff was gone but I mean, he could’ve just gotten rid of it or sold it to some junkie. But she wouldn’t have left without me, which is something I wish I wasn’t so sure of. Katherine was too drunk to notice a kid gone missing, and the system didn’t care, claimed she ran away.” Lee scoffed. “More like fell off the face of the Earth.”

“That fucking sucks.” Mickey pulled away from her.

“Yeah,” was all she could mutter.

“So you’re…gay?”

“Bi,” she said simply, managing to smirk a little as she leant closer to him, although it felt void of emotion. “I still think your boyfriend is pretty fucking cute.”

“He’s not my fuckin’ boyfriend,” he snapped.

Lee shrugged. “Okay, whatever you say.”

“He’s not!”

“Either way,” she stressed, “I promise I won’t tell anyone. Not even Mandy.” He nodded and they remained silent for a moment before she blurted out, “So are you always the bottom?”

Mickey groaned as he stood from his crouch. “My fuckin’ God.” He rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Can you please shut the fuck up and go back to your fuckin’ room?”

She nodded, smiling a little as she slowly made her way out of the bathroom.

“Thank you,” Mickey said, clearly annoyed.

“I’ll just ask Ian tomorrow.” She raced down the hall to her room and slipped in, hearing Mickey huff behind her.

* * *

“Look who’s not dead.” Ian grinned as she entered the Kash N’ Grab. His eyes widened in horror when he saw her face, which was covered in bruises and bandages. He rushed over, touching her shoulder. “Fuck, I didn’t think he’d really hit you.”

She shrugged him off, giving him a small smile. “Nah, it wasn’t Mickey. He may seem like a thug, but Christ, he’s just a softie when it comes to me.”

Ian rolled his green eyes. “I’m sure. Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright. Anyway, so heard from Mickey yet? I told him this morning to text you and tell you that it’s all good between us now.”

“He hasn’t texted me. How’d you get him to back off?”

Lee shrugged. “We talked it through after finding some common ground. Basically, don’t fuck while I’m around and you’re golden. Or if you can’t control your urges, at least warn me so I can keep a look out for you two. I mean, fuck me, I caught you before yesterday as well.”

“What?! When?!” Ian’s eyes widened. “How?!”

Seeing as no customers were coming in for a while, she proceeded to tell him what happened when she applied and dropped her phone in the store, which he continued on to crack up at.

* * *

“Yo, Lee!” Ian called out from the counter as she was stacking stuff in the fridge.

She poked her head out of the door. “Yeah?”

“Mickey texted and he’s coming here and then we’re gonna go hang out, you alright to handle the store?”

She nodded, leaving the fridge to take over the counter. “Yeah.”

Ian grinned at her. “Alright, I’m going to go tell Linda I’m taking an early break.”

She followed the cute redhead with her gaze as he made his way through the door and up the stairs that led to Kash and Linda’s apartment. The door rang as a customer entered and she turned with a smile to greet them. Her blood ran cold as her eyes met familiar dark ones.

“Tommy,” she breathed.

He came up with a smirk, pressing his hands into the counter and leaning forward. “Lee.”

Her lip curled up in disgust. “What do you fucking want?”

“Just come to tell you that I’m leaving town, so you can tell that animal of yours to back the fuck off.”

“The only _animal_ around here is you,” she snarled.

“Whatever,” he scoffed as he turned to the door.

“Tommy!” she snapped and he spun around, arching an eyebrow at her. “What did you do to Abby?”

His lips curled up in the corners into a cruel smile. “I told her to leave and never come back.”

Lee sank into the stool beside the counter. “And she did?”

He shook his head. “Oh no, she refused. So I picked up a shovel and bashed her pretty little head in. I left her there…She could be dead, could be alive. Who the fuck knows?” He shrugged casually, giving her a wave before exiting the store.

She slowly pressed her face into her hands, trying desperately to hold herself together.

She heard the door ring again a few seconds later and Mickey asked, “Hey, you seen Gallagher?” She took a deep breath, not wanting to show Mickey any further indication that something was wrong. “Lee, you alright?” This time he sounded more concerned.

She lifted her face from her hands and gave him a small smile. “Yeah, fine, he’s just telling Linda that he’s leaving early.”

Mickey slowly nodded. “Alright, can you tell him to meet me at the dugouts?”

“Yeah,” she said, waiting until Mickey and Ian left to cry.

* * *

It was official. Mickey and Mandy were moving back home. Katherine had told them the news that morning as they ate breakfast before returning to the couch to resume her drinking. She didn’t notice Tommy was missing.

“I don’t want to leave you here,” Mandy told Lee as they brushed their teeth. “What if the fucker comes back? You don’t even have a baton.”

“How do you live on the Southside and not own a fucking weapon?” Mickey enquired and she shrugged.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured them. “Jesus fucking Christ, worry about yourselves! Are you guys gonna be alright going home?”

“Fuck you, we’re Milkoviches,” Mandy said firmly. “We can handle fucking anything.”

“Well then, fuck you, I can handle this,” she retorted, spitting her toothpaste in the sink and rinsing her toothbrush.

When they left, they gave her awkward as hugs. Milkoviches may be good at a lot, but they need to brush up on their intimacy skills. Well…not the sex part, but the other stuff.

Mickey told Lee to take care of herself, while Mandy gave her her phone number and offered to have her be able to stay at her Aunt Randi’s with her whenever she needed to get away. She told them both that she didn’t think Tommy was coming back for a while, although she didn’t tell them why. She also refrained from telling Mickey what happened to Abby. That was her loss to mourn and hers only. He didn’t need to know that.  
When they left, she sighed and made her way back to her room. She actually smiled a little as she passed a drunken Katherine, knowing that she may be a terrible foster mother but she was better than most. She would be able to enjoy living with only her for a while before she moves some more in. Lee could only hope that they were as good as the Milkoviches.

She lay down on her bed for the first time in a week or so, smiling to herself as she traced the words that Abby and she had carved into the wooden bed post one night as they shared the bed, cuddling up to one another. Although she felt a tear fall down her face at the loss and the heartbreak, there was also a sense of closure and relief. And that really allowed her to feel the words that Abby left with her. It allowed them to break her, while simultaneously fixing everything and making it better. _I love you._

She closed her eyes and rolled onto her back, thinking of tangled blonde hair and dancing blue eyes, of a laugh that reminded her of spring, and hands that were the softest things ever as they caressed her face — of the girl that reminded her that she was someone, and that she was loved.

* * *

_**Months later…** _

“Lee, we’ve got another one!” Katherine called out and Lee groaned because, why did they need another stupid kid?

It had been months since Mickey and Mandy had moved out. Tommy hadn’t returned since and she was glad. Life had been peaceful, even with Mickey in Juvie for the past few months and Mandy up her ass about visiting him. She had wanted to slap Kash when she found out he had shot him and gotten him into trouble, but Ian and she just managed to hassle some money out of him for Mickey.

She could tell she was beginning to slowly fade out of Mandy’s life as Lee attended school less and less. She only saw Ian when they were working, so they became less close as time had gone on. Mickey and she, however, had remained friends seeing as whenever Ian wasn’t available he had no one to hang out with but her. She thinks she was also a sort of beard for him as he told her his father was happy we were ‘hanging out’. However, with Mickey in jail, it was getting harder to see him and keep in touch.

It was sad, she supposed, but she knew that soon she would escape this foster home and leave, never looking back. So it was probably easier to slowly fade out of their lives since her friend Malik told her he and his girlfriend were running away, and offered for her to come along. That would be in around a month or so, though. She was slowly fading out. It was a good method.

A method that was ruined as soon as Katherine followed up with, “We got a goddamn Gallagher this time!”

She rushed around the corner to see Ian grinning sheepishly at her. “Hey, the CPS pulled me from my house and placed me here until Fiona can get us back.”

She couldn’t help but hug him; he was the only one out of her friends that could give a good one. She grinned as she pulled away. “This will be so fun.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, being apart from my family is so much fun.”

Lee smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

He elbowed her lightly. “It’s all good; I get what you mean. Now, how about you show me to my room?”

“Mickey’s getting out soon, right?” she asked as she led him to Tommy’s and Mickey’s old room.

The redhead nodded. “Yeah, I’m asking Linda about getting him a job working security.”

She almost sighed. Well, it looks like the fading out will be harder work if she’s going to be around those two clowns a lot more often. “Whatever. No inviting him over for sex while I’m here.”

Ian only laughed, and she almost scowled. What did she expect when she was dealing with a Milkovich and a Gallagher? Ian shot her a smirk and, with just one look at that face, she knew that no such promises would be made.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I wrote AGESSSSS ago and I just found it and omg i hate myself for the title but i also love it this fic is a mess


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